The Stephen King-inspired series Castle Rock ended after two critically praised seasons, not because viewers lost interest, but because larger business decisions and creative plans for a contained story collided. The show was quietly generating millions in streaming revenue even after its official cancellation.
Hulu officially canceled the show in late 2020, more than a year after the season two finale aired in December 2019. While confusing for fans, the decision was rooted in a pre-planned ending and shifting priorities at the studio behind the scenes.
The Planned Two-Season Story
Contrary to many fan theories, Castle Rock was not intended to be a never-ending story. According to reports, the creative team always planned for the series to be a connected set of stories concluding with the second season.
The creators built the show’s second season around Annie Wilkes, the infamous nurse from King’s Misery. That season brought her origin story to a distinct and emotional end. Showrunner Dustin Thomason stated the goal was to have “an interconnected set of stories” where each season was a new launching point within Stephen King’s multiverse. With Annie’s arc complete, the show’s core creative plan was fulfilled.
“The people involved were big fans of those books, and I liked what they did quite a lot… In the second season, they really got their feet under them. I would have liked to have seen it go on and grow a little bit,” said author Stephen King.
The Warner Bros. Shift to HBO Max
A major factor in the show’s end was corporate strategy. Castle Rock was produced by Warner Bros. Television. As the show’s second season concluded, the studio began shifting its focus toward building up its new streaming platform, HBO Max, which launched in May 2020.
Resources and strategic attention moved to creating new content for HBO Max. Shows like Castle Rock, which were made for other streaming services, did not fit into this new corporate direction. This shift left the series without a home for continuation, despite its success.
The Impact of the Pandemic and Industry Changes
The global COVID-19 pandemic created uncertainty across the entertainment industry in 2020. It made filming more challenging and expensive for complex productions. Around the same time Castle Rock was canceled, Hulu also ended several other shows including High Fidelity, Harlots, and Runaways. The pandemic likely accelerated decisions to streamline content libraries and focus on projects with clearer futures.
Furthermore, the broader market for Stephen King adaptations was becoming crowded. With many new series and films in development, continuing Castle Rock could have limited opportunities to adapt other major stories connected to the town. The show had successfully tapped into a well of King’s work, but its continuation risked boxing in other potential projects.
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The Show’s Success and Lingering Mysteries
The cancellation was surprising given the show’s strong performance. It earned an 87% rating for Season 1 and an 89% rating for Season 2 on Rotten Tomatoes. A 2025 report from The Wrap revealed that between 2020 and 2025, Castle Rock generated an estimated $57.9 million in streaming revenue for Warner Bros.—more than any other Stephen King adaptation during that period, including major films like It and The Shawshank Redemption. This highlighted the long-term value and quiet popularity of the series.
The ending did leave several story threads unanswered. A poster in Season 2 stated that Henry Deaver was missing, contradicting his happy ending in Season 1. The fate of the mysterious “The Kid” (played by Bill Skarsgård) was also left open. These loose ends fueled hope among fans for a revival, but no other network or streamer has picked up the series since Hulu’s cancellation.
Despite its end, Castle Rock remains a complete two-season exploration of Stephen King’s iconic town. Its conclusion was the result of a fulfilled creative vision meeting a changing corporate landscape, not a failure of the story or its audience.
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